A long wait

Haven't seen my friend in nearly five months and we meet tomorrow.... Spent the day making three new bowls. I cut, marked, hammered and platinated all three in a burst of pre Christmas panic!!! However my mind was totally fixed on tomorrow and the numbness in my hammer arm didn't become apparent until tonight... Such is the power of our minds to overcome all we need to overcome when we our eyes are set on a precious goal....
Christmas is a time of joy when we gather around our friends and family.... Christmas is a time of great sadness as we think of those no longer with us..... For me it's such a mixture of emotions.... I am lucky to have my children and grandchildren around me and yet I feel the unnecessary guilt of not having provided for my parents in their old age as they had in such a selfless way........... I will, for the first time in my life wake up alone on Christmas morning and wonder how I'll feel....... I am so lucky, however, that there are lots of oasis around me where I am welcome....and I thank God for that.... just saying